Joey Edwards, a saddlemaker from Grandview will speak on working with leather at a curator’s workshop at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Layland Museum.
Edwards said he started making saddles in 1988.
“I grew up around horses and cattle my entire life and have been on horseback as long as I can remember,” he said. “Because of these experiences with horses, I have always been interested in the leather gear used by horsemen and cowboys, their function and construction.”
He will show slides of some of his work and use the exhibit of Saddles of the Southern Plains, sponsored in part by Humanities Texas, as examples.
He will also bring a saddle he made and some antique tools he uses that belonged to his wife’s grandfather for the public to view.
Edwards learned his trade in his teen years in the late 1970s and early 1980s by watching a saddlemaker work.
He learned the steps, the preparation of leather, and use of tools there.
In college, he started a saddle repair shop for extra money.
Within months he worked every day after school and weekends to keep up.
This gave him an opportunity to study techniques of other saddlemakers.
Because of the countless hours he has spent horseback, Edwards knows the benefits of a well-built saddle.
It should fit the horse, be comfortable to ride, and last a lifetime with proper care so it may be passed to the next generation.
Edwards has been an insurance agent for 16 years and builds saddles in his spare time, making about five a year, plus a few custom tooled ledgers, notebooks and photo albums, in his home shop in Grandview.
He also does repair work.
His specialty is using the Sheridan style of tooling which uses small, intricate flowing floral patterns with no two designs the same.
The Layland Museum is located at 201 N. Caddo in Cleburne.
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